Helping Your Child Prepare for the SSAT

When your child begins the private school admission process, one of the first steps should be to begin preparation for the SSAT. The SSAT test is the most commonly used standardized test among private schools, and it requires students to understand a great deal about test-taking strategies, as well as how to maintain their test-taking stamina for the duration of the test. As the following article describes, beginning preparation with a one-on-one tutor as early as possible is the best way to ensure a strong score on the SSAT.

How To Prepare Your Child

The SSAT examination simply provides a way for private schools and boarding schools to assess the academic skills of the applicants on a level playing field. Doing well on the SSAT is key to getting your child into your first choice of private school. To do well on the SSAT examination, students need to begin preparing early, while working with a tutor in a one-on-one setting. Many experts and educational consultants recommend that SSAT prep begin about one year prior to the examination date. Not only does this allow time for an initial assessment of your student, but it allows your student time to refine their study habits, examine areas of weakness, and become a stronger test taker. Starting SSAT prep early will better enable your student to get comfortable with time constraints, as well allowing them to become familiar what type of material will be used on the actual exam.